Southern Lovin'
by Pathomorph
Summary: The term 'stood-up' really doesn't properly depict the magnitude of Edward leaving Bella alone in an empty chapel the day of her wedding, without a Cullen or explanation in sight.
1. Introduction: The Quiet before the storm

**_Southern Lovin'_**

_A/N:__ This is my first Twilight Fanfic. __Predominantly __because I never truly appreciated the book or movie until I read some of the fan fiction you guys have uploaded, some __of which __literally blew me away __and__ made me fall in love with the Saga in a new light. _

_You are all wonderful writers with a million and one ideas; so I decided to have a go. __I was __inspired by the passion of some of the stories here that could only be described as works of literary art. _

_Thank you all. _

_SubWarning__: Okay; while I am aware __that__ the book is fairly tame, I am afraid this is not. It's going to be an emotional roller-coaster. It's going to contain dark parts, but it's also going to contain fluff so chewy you'll need filling__s__ for the cavities caused by __the__ sweet__ness__. __This is__ mostly because I wanted to stay true to Bella; she is, in all honesty, very expressive. She loves deep and when she hurts it's tangible. This is MA!_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Twilight the collective works in any way, shape, or form. It is the sole property of Stephenie Meyer's, __of __whom I am not, nor am I making a financial profit from this Fan fiction._

_Also! A big warm 'thank you' to Lola my wonderful Beta for making my chapter easier to read. She is magical and wonderful.  
_

Introduction :_ The quiet before the storm._

* * *

_Jasper:_

In the week that led to the moment we knew was coming, the inconsistent array of emotions I felt literally vibrating from the household was nearly enough to choke on. Edward had become reclusive in his room, taking my mate with him as a source of comfort for the deed he had planned to commit. Every now and then I felt a sharp spike of disgust radiate from Alice and had to try very hard not to smile. Smiling was entirely inappropriate.

Although I, honestly, did try to see things from Edward's point of view, I guess I had become more like 'The Major' than I had ever thought; I simply could not fathom why a mere human had our family in such a tiff.

_Bella._

Sweet, shy, clumsy Isabella Marie Swan. How I knew her middle name I did not know; it hardly seemed like a good idea to waste time on menial things.

Bella, who had on so many occasions nearly died due to Edward's infatuation with her. Yes, I say infatuation, or maybe even obsession, but I would not say love.

I've felt love. The sun, the warm rays of pure affection that made my adopted mother Esme almost glow in delight every time Carlisle simply entered the room. The way that Emmett and Rosalie, the most unconventional and least romantic of us, simply stared at each other and, without saying a word, knew what the other was thinking and feeling. Sometimes you didn't need Edward's 'special' gift to know what someone was thinking, sometimes you simply knew them enough, inside and out.

Had Edward known Bella half as well as he _thought _he did, he wouldn't have needed his mind trick to figure out what she thought. He would have known. Alas, he did not know, I do not think, much of the real Bella at all. He knew, merely, the idealized version of her he had conjured in his mind. Admittedly, a comatose sheep would have had more personality than the 'ideal Bella' Edward seemed to have invented out of thin air within _hours_ of meeting her.

However, the fact remained that I had never felt Edward feel these things. Not that it was my business, and to be honest it wasn't like I particularly cared, but if the mortal was his mate, as Alice had said, Edward had not felt the pull.

He had felt the pull of her blood and scent. Oh yes, _that_ he had spent hours analyzing and logging different affects to her smell depending on the situation. He projected his lust for her blood so vividly it was a wonder he had not snapped. But he never felt that _'____magnetic' _attraction to the blood bag. She was never more than a smell or source of sweet temptation. There was nothing below to the surface. You could've scratched away at his hunger, the divine torture it was to be near her and his resistance to the venom and you would simply find an empty void.

I was fairly certain, if not positive, that Edward's _affections _were completely superficial.

Edward was hard to understand though; he lived in a world of his own. Born of a different time, he was a man with an erratic mind set. You could have gone mad, trying to understand Edward. His fluctuating attitude still confounded Carlisle, his maker.

Esme didn't say anything, but I felt the emotions she emitted no matter how hard she masked them. She thought what Edward was doing was selfish, as did Carlisle, though he would never have said so; he was not so anxious to see our 'family_'_ split ways again.

I, on the other hand, found it much more practical to see things as they were, and Edward for what he is; a child.

Bella was a like a bright, shiny toy, kept just beyond his reach, and he was the toddler with sticky fingers that wanted it simply because he could not have it. The way he watched her, took tiny notes and found her hopelessly human ways amusing to watch, was exactly like that of a scientist surveying lab rats, observing and learning in fascination.

I admit, for a human Bella was actually anomalous individual, which made her presence both disconcerting and curious. Edward wasn't the only one sucked into the gravitational pull she seemed to emit like a beacon. Emmett and Rose had both, on occasion, peeked at her doing something as if trying to gauge the purpose of it.

She was clumsy. This of course, was hilarious to Emmett, who took sickening amounts of joy in watching her stumble over a loose corner of the rug or misjudge a step and end up bruising her shin on the coffee table.

She was unconditionally pure; in turn this had a reluctant Rosalie drawn in like a moth to the flame. We all knew she saw a little piece of her more naive, human self, in Edwards latest 'play thing' and she worried that Bella suffer the fate she did. Acting dispassionate towards the 'Swan girl' did nothing to hide her concern; not to us at least.

For Alice she was a source of endless non-judgmental that was seldom seen in people, for which I was grateful. It was so sentimental the way made friends with just about anything; as we had discovered one afternoon, finding Bella in our garden cooing to the flowers; that it made your teeth ache with sugary decay.

For Esme and Carlisle, she was like the missing link to their family. They had all bought into the _Edward's Perfect World._

A world which was doomed to implode due to the utter impossibility of it being feasible.

Not I though; while I saw her as a friend to my Alice and a pick-me-up to the others I still couldn't look beyond the fact that she was human. This did not mean I was impolite or oblivious to her existence; merely impartial.

I'd seen enough in my lifetime to know when the sidelines were the safest place to be. It didn't matter that Alice had seen her as a vampire. We all knew Edward would sooner die a true death then turn his human; he loved her humanity. It was as if he pretended he still had his own through her.

So as to why they were all so shocked about the plan to leave Fork's just a few hours prior to the wedding, was completely beyond me.

Pathetic though it was, this is was half the reason I remained detached from everything concerning Bella. Well, as much as I could. I refused to get sucked into 'Edward's World'; only to be ripped from it when he grew bored.

I'd lost enough. I may have been selfish and weak; but self-preservation was something I knew well.

None of this changed the situation or the negative that hung in the house like a pink elephant in the room. _Everyone_ was uncomfortable.

Probably because no one had thought to tell Bella the wedding was off. _Oops?_

Honestly, what the hell did they think would have happened if Bella arrived to an empty chapel? Or in case, our house. I was the heartless one of us and even I knew that she would not recover from this. There was no recovering from something like that. If she lived, which I was unsure she would, I doubted she would ever be the same again. Would she end up in a straitjacket somewhere? Locked away from the world and left to rot in a padded cell, as she was left to question and re-question what she had done wrong?

Had it not been so disturbingly close to home, I might have laughed at the human getting what happened to most mortals who got mixed up with our kind. She should have run away from us, not run towards us with open arms.

As I sat quietly in the room I shared with Alice, trying to both block the torrent of incoming emotions and send out messages of calm to the others, my mind drifted to the tiny thing known as Bella.

At a first glance she was ordinary. A bit of an ascetic individual that would rather have sat quietly and listened to others talk while gnawing on her lip from behind a veil of that thick, mahogany hair. She was, at best, disgustingly subservient; too willing to be pushed around.

However, if you took the time to look deeper; you'd see a lot more. After all, it was no easy feat for a human to unconsciously 'woo' a werewolf. Though both brainless and brusque, admittedly, they tried to stay within the pack.

When Bella was quiet, often looking as though she was merely sitting and spacing out, I often found the most erratic and uncharacteristic emotions emitting from her. Had I not been forced to communicate with her because of Edward and Alice, I doubt I would have realized. Still, while everyone else thought she was a bit of a space cadet, I knew those were the times she actually took a moment to sit and quietly contemplate things. She was a 'suffer in silence' type, and I'd be damned if I was the sorry fool to tell Edward.

He'd be the type to chew the messenger and not the message.

She was also the most ungainly thing I had ever encountered. Watching her try to play volleyball in gym was like trying to watch a gazelle that had been mauled by a pack of lions, bound through a field of landmines. One was torn between wanting to put her out of her misery or laugh until your sides hurt.

However, I had also seen her twirl a pencil around her fingers in class, as she stared off into space, face set in a tiny frown. Alice had seen her flip over the couch so fast it actually even impressed me These were all things she had no idea she had done. Fact of the matter was, she was her most _unco-ordinated_ the harder she tried to be co-ordinated.

As for docile, it was hard to class her as anything if not _feisty_ knowing that she had slugged a wolf in the jaw. Bella, though I never would have guessed, was actually quite the fire-cracker.

Edward, however, seemed to suck all of that out of her; he was like her brand of Kryptonite. He greedily drained away all of her strength, leaving the feeble little human that Rosalie had at one point, resented.

So had I.

We'd been proven wrong of course. I more so then Rosalie, as it was I who she had undermined first.

Alice and I had put ourselves in danger to protect her and she had charged off, ready to die to save her mother. It was a rare show of chivalry, one which I hadn't seen in a good many years. The common decency in humans nowadays was appallingly low.

While I often disagreed with my ___Family _on many things, the fact that they had helped me turn from human blood to animal was something for which I would be forever in their debt. Back in the day, a good kill was as natural as making love to the person I loved. My body moved on its own, knowing what it wanted and how to get it. The surge of adrenaline, the bitter-sweet taste of venom pooling under my tongue in anticipation and the taste.

Oh, there were no words to describe how utterly _divine_ it felt to hold down something so warm and soft and drink away the sweet taste of its life.

However even I, more in touch with my inner ___demon _could not deny the decline in the taste of humans' as the centuries flew buy. Tasting drugs, S.T.D's or alcohol in one's food was never a pleasant experience, particularly for us.

Bella was a rarity, and while I wasn't all that fussed over her role in our family, I did believe she deserved better then what she got from Edward. It seemed not even life as _The Major __could_ take away the gentleman in me.

Bella aside, Edward's total lack of regard for how the rest of the family felt to his introduction and subsequent deprivation of new elements in our lives was both self-centred and heartless. This angered me more, considering he considered me the 'monster' of the family.

This whole ordeal had not just affected him, yet his insistence had been accepted for the amity and congruence of our siblings. We had left Forks at once, at his command, and in return, left Bella. It had not turned out well. Yet as always, what Edward wanted, Edward got.

This was going to crush Alice.

I frowned at the thought of my mate in pain over our ___brother__' _capricious inclinations. Despite being my mate, she had always been there for him, no matter what he had done, or would do in the future.

I had always admired that in her. My pixie. _My Alice._

I realized with a start that the room was actually experiencing tiny tremors from the force of my growl and promptly bit my tongue. Instantly I felt curiosity, trepidation, and slight anxiety radiate from the other members' of the household and sighed, dragging a hand through my tousled curls.

However, it was the clear and undulated Tsunami of _warning _from Edward's direction that had me fighting back the tarns of venom that filled my mouth at the very thought of a possible challenge. If Edward thought he could bully me then he was sorely misguided. As a member of the 'Cullens' I had a right to my opinions, beliefs and feelings on matters that concerned us all on a whole. What did he expect? For me to sit by idly while he tore away the only friend Alice had made in nearly a decade? He was more deluded than I gave him credit for if he thought I would.

Fighting back a grin that would make _The Major _proud, I purposely send a wave of pure and unadulterated lust at him, conjuring up the most provocative images of his human I could. My smirk increased when I heard the bed he had bought for when Bella stayed over, crash through his wall and fly out into the field in which we played baseball.

That would teach him.

Grinning ear to ear, I slipped out the window of mine and Alice's room and blurred into the woods for a bite to eat, while Edward continued throwing things out of the now, gaping hole in his room.

Hadn't he said that his room had felt stuffy lately?

_Bella:_

I remember my mom asking when I was little if I would ever marry. As a defiant six year old with boy phobia and a sour outlook on the potential _cootie _factor, I had told her I would rather kiss a toad. She had laughed of course and ruffled my hair at the time, calling me the most sensible person she knew. And while, back then, I had glowed under her appraisal, today I found myself asking myself the very same thing.

If I had _not_ met the Cullens, fallen for Edward and, over the last year, seen the things I had seen and done the things I had done, would I have ever thought about marriage?

I tried to picture myself as a bride, but stopped with a grimace when all I could come up with was a white monstrosity that made me look more like a giant cream puff than anything else. I had been chewing my lip over the last hour and half to the point it had actually started to bleed, and so, had switched to sitting on my bed twisting the ring on my finger in continuous circles.

Being together with Edward, for eternity, was my highest of high priorities; I simply could not picture my future without him. Suffering his loss once was bad enough, losing it forever… I was not sure if I could survive it even with Jacob's help.

However, the thought that we would actually marry, as stupid as it sounded, hadn't occurred to me until Edward asked me officially.

True, it was a small price to pay; eternal love in exchange for a ceremony that I knew I would hate already. Suffering through a few hours of prom was one thing; suffering through months of preparations, dress fittings, decoration choosing, only to stand up in front of Cullens and make a fool of myself as I babbled through some poorly scripted vows was something else entirely. Strangely enough, the last month leading up to this moment hadn't actually been all that bad, and while I would _never_ in life, as long as it would be, want to repeat this procedure, it had also given me something priceless.

It had given me a chance to bond a little better with the rest of them, while my mind was not so filled with thoughts of Edward. Dare I say, but having Alice and Rosalie fight over the dress I was going to wear actually made me giggle. Helping me with my wedding, for Rose, was like living her own dream through me. For that, I would wiggle into blindingly white swathes of dress any day. By the end of a very long, very painful day of being dragged around, stuck with fitting pins, squished into dresses, ordered to march around in heels I could not walk in to save my life, and being tugged back and forth between two very determined vampires like a rag-doll; I was rewarded for my efforts with the most beautiful thing I think I have ever seen.

Rose;_ smiling._

Practically glowing from the inside out with all the joy of a little girl who was told she was a fairy princess.

For a second I felt my heart stutter in my chest.

It was more than I had hoped for; all I really wanted was for her to tolerate me, or at least, dislike me less then she seemed to. Instead, I got a thousand watt smile that could have shamed the sun.

I think I stood there, dazzled, for a good three minutes, unable to do anything but stare, eyes wide. Then Alice was giggling and babbling something, and dragging me away to the car we had arrived in; a perfect replica of the canary yellow automobile she had 'borrowed' whilst in her hast to take me to Edward. As we slid into our seats, clicking my belt in place, hands already gripping anything I could get a firm hand on, Alice suddenly turned to me and gave me a look that I never, in a million years, could I have read.

"I'm so happy we got to do this Bella." she chirped; but her voice was slightly softer than normal and lacked its usual perk. Instantly I worried I had done something wrong.

When we arrived in a screech of tires and a fog of flying gravel and dirt outside my place, I turned to question the sudden change in mood but found that the _pixie _was now back to smiling impishly. We hugged up on the steps telling her I would see her tomorrow at the wedding and then for the rest of our lives.

We really would be the sisters we had always considered ourselves.

She laughed. The sound reminded me of tinkling glass wind chimes and it made me feel giddy. I knew I would not be getting any sleep tonight; it hadn't really dawned on me that I was getting married until now, the day before. _Typical._

"Good night Bella." She hugged me so tightly I feared for my ribs and back, before stepping away in a twirl.

"See you tomorrow Alice." I waved her off as the car sped away almost too fast to see, and then headed inside.

Inside the house was dark and I could clearly smell the remains of chilly fries before I had even reached the lounge room. Charlie was fast asleep, sprawled out over the couch, and much to my amusement, covered in Bridal Couture magazines, while the T.V blared out the current football scores. Covering him with the quilt we left there for occasions such as this, I took a minute to collect all the magazines, switched off the T.V and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before heading up to bed.

Despite my long, relaxing shower and the use of my favourite pyjamas, I was correct in my prediction about sleep. Curled up with the teddy Jacob had given to me for my birthday and face buried in the quilt my mom had made me, I slowly let the enormity of my situation sink in.

It wasn't long before I was on my back, staring up at the roof in a cold sweat. What if I tripped walking up the isle? What if I said the wrong vows? My heart picked up its pace in my chest, beating away under my ribs so loud and so fast I could have danced the tango to it. Butterflies, long forgotten, made their presence known once more to my insides, tickling away at me as they expanded and grew as my trepidation doubled. Before I knew it, I was on my feet, teddy held to my chest protectively as I paced back and forth in my room.

A part of me hoped that Edward would come, slip in through my open window and hold me until all doubts had fled and I could sleep, safe and snug in his marble hard arms.

After an hour of idle pacing and continuous hopeful looks towards my window, I realized he wasn't coming and felt myself slump slightly. Subconsciously, I knew he, like the others, would be planning tomorrow. The disappointment was like the feeling of a rounded heavy stone dropping to the pit of my stomach.

A sudden snap from the tree outside caught my attention and spun around so fast I tripped, coming face to chest with someone tanned, warm and smelling strongly of honeysuckle.

"Jake!" I could not have kept the relief he was here out of my voice if you had paid me. This seemed to please him as I found self being pulled up and into a hug.

"Hey Bella, are you mad that I'm here?" He asked, pushing me away so he could gauge if I was telling the truth from my expression.

Normally this would have irked me, but tonight it was reassurance. This was _my_ Jacob; my uncertain, unbearably adorable Jacob. I was truthfully beside myself with elation that I wouldn't have to spend tonight alone.

"No, I'm not at all. What are you doing here?" Withdrawing from the hug entirely, I took him by the hand and we crawled up onto my bed.

Since his… _growth spurt,_ I often forgot that he was actually a year younger than I. The crooked smile he reserved just for me slipped a little.

"I wanted to see you before…" He had no idea how to finish the sentence. Now that I think about it, if you had put me in his shoes, I don't think I could have either. So I showed what reassurance I could and wriggled into the groove of his body.

He let out a deep rumbling growl; face softening entirely as he wrapped me in his arms, cocooning me with his scent and an almost suffocating heat that was Jacob.

I would miss him, I knew that I would. But I also knew that if I stayed here with him and not with Edward, I would grow resentful.

Jacob didn't deserve such treatment. Though he had his moments, he had always only tried to do what only my true friend would; be there for me.

"Will you write to me sometimes?" He asked, after we lapsed into a comfortable silence. I knew in my heart that as long as I had his address I would.

"Only if you write back, and nothing perverted or I'll give you the most bad-ass verbal smack down." I teased and he chuckled against my back, the vibrations tingling along my skin like a feathering of calming kisses.

"Only you would think of improving my vocabulary skills as a way of punishment, Bella." We broke off into quiet laughter, not wanting to wake up my dad. Lately, he had been under more stress then he could probably handle.

My back was against Jacob's chest, wrapped in the thick bands of his arms, his nose in my hair. That is how we spent the night talking.

Finally, in the early hours of dawn, he tucked me closer and soothed me to sleep with the steady thumping of his heart, the musky smell of wolf and treacle sweet smell of honeysuckle that was his.

Yes; I would _definitely_ miss my Jacob.

I fell asleep with a tear in my eye for one of the very few people I had gotten close to; one that I was now about to abandon.

The things we did for love, right?

As my lids grew too heavy to keep open, I felt, rather than heard Jake murmur something against the thick mass of my hair. I felt the warm wetness hit my scalp as his tears soaked in and distantly felt him push something onto my small finger; before I gave into the pull of sleep. Lulled to a world where we all lived happily; Charlie, The Cullens, and my Jacob. No secrets, no fighting.

Just us and a friend called bliss.

By the time I woke up the next morning, my pillow and a good portion of my hair was drenched. He had cried the entire night whilst I slept and then left with a letter in his place, as was the ring he had always intended to give me, on my finger.

**_End:_**

**_

* * *

_**

_O_o Woah, so yeah. That chapter was a bit longer then I intended. Sorry. I just wanted to tie up a few things before I actually got to the wedding. You are all thinking __around__ about now; 'You bitch, You made Jacob cry!' to which I reply.. No.. that was Bella. _

_As you can guess this is not a Bella/Ed__ward __story, but I doubt you will guess that actual pairing. :P _

_So review if you want more. Tell me WHO you think Bella will end up with. Do you think the Cullens will stay as a family after this? Or is Edward's frivolous insolence going to break them apart? Stay tuned!_


	2. Chapter One: Situational Awareness

Welcome to the first official chapter of Southern Lovin'!

My first order of business is to convey a special message to my reviewers and all those who fav'd this this story. Thank you all so much; the fact that you took the time to read and review 'Southern Lovin' is amazing, and I promise I will strive to live up to your expectations.

Because I had to put this story on a hold due to the birth of my daughter, it is no longer beta'd. I apoligize for any errors.

**Chapter One:** Situational Awareness.

"_Did I dream this belief?_

_Or did I believe this dream?_

_Now I can find relief_

_I grieve"_—By Gabriel Peter

Alice:

For the last half an hour, Edward had been hunched over the tatty remains of Bella's red shirt, marble features in in stony lines of pain. My heart clenched in jealousy; why was he allowed something of hers when not I nor the others had been allowed as much as a simple goodbye.

From my position across the lot where we were all currently all parked, I sucked in a large breath through my nose, hoping to catch a whiff of Freesia. Edward's body trembled slightly and I realized, with a jolt, he was growling low and deep in his chest.

That territorial prick!

He was, without words, telling me to back off what was his. Venom pooled in my mouth instinctively, but I swallowed it back and counted down from one hundred - In German.

He was bitter and hostile right now, grieving over for his loss;_ his_ Bella. Only, she wasn't_ his_ anymore. Her fate had changed, as it did with humans. Unlike us; ours was set in stone, or so I had thought. I knew Edward would continue to brood; perhaps that was how he would spend the last of his days.

While it made me sick to think of my brother would isolate himself, it also angered me to think that he was only doing it because he was being forced, by powers he had no control over, to share Bella. A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. The time would come when we could return to her. I'd seen it. Only this time, whether or not Edward would return with us or not, was unclear.

After huffing out a slightly agitated sigh, I turned to where Jasper stood, looking puzzled, his handsome face set to reveal none of his inner turmoil as Esme held his hand and spoke to him lowly. I knew well and full what she was telling him.

His eyes met mine, black with anger and shadowed purple with lassitude. The question I couldn't answer shone in his eyes, glazing them as though they were awash with tears. Perhaps if he were human he might have wept.

Swallowing back my string of emotions, I turned my back to him and ducked my head. Bella was not the only victim of this mess, but hopefully, yes, hopefully it would be all worth it.

There was a sicking crunch that I knew to be Jasper, slamming his fist into his car, crumpling the metal like tinfoil. Though my heart was long since dead in my chest, I swore I felt it shatter and splinter as Jasper's, scream tore through the air. At the same moment, the darkening sky had been was lit up by a bolt of lightning and overcome by a clap of thunder that all but shook the ground beneath us.

Carlisle motioned for us to leave; our throng of vehicles pulled up into the tiny truck stop someone outside of Seattle. As I turned to enter my car, I thought I heard Jasper whisper my name. My eyes stung, chest tightening as though I was being crushed. At that moment I desperately wished for the ability to cry, despite the fact whilst I was glad I couldn't. I knew what I was doing was cruel. Leaving Jasper behind to clean up a mess he had no part in creating. Dismissing him coldly, as if I didn't want him. It wasn't that I didn't want Jasper. I would always love him, but the fact remained, he was no longer tied to me by the strings of fate. His life had changed, just as mine and Edward's had. Despite the rift Bella had unknowingly caused, I did not resent her. Some times change was good. Particularly for us, who lived a life of complete monotony.

I flitted into my car, slid it into gear and peeled out of the lot; gravel and dirt raining the blond Texan in my wake. The steering wheel creaked under my grip and the engine of my yellow Porsche roared as I snapped the car from first into third tearing down the highway with my family close behind.

There was nowhere far enough to escape to, but for now I had my mind set on Alaska. Alaska would do for now (you used this expression in the last sentence); the cold would be a welcome change after the months of Bella's sweet and gentle body heat, and the barren wasteland would mirror how I felt inside to perfection.

However, I was fairly certain the entire family knew where we really belonged for this. It was the exact opposite of where we were heading; hell was where we really belonged.

The image of Bella's pastel face streaked with tears, hidden behind a curtain of reddish-brown ringlets as she slept, hunched over her father's bedside, flashed into mind.

Hell, yeah. That sounded about right. Internally begging Bella for forgiveness, Alice pushed away such thoughts and focused on the now. Because as of now, her family was in shambled, her mate was no longer her own, and the future of the Cullen's was very uncertain.

Bella:

In the mirror, a deity of ice-white and scintillating hoary. Pearl bobbles and embroidery was staring back at me. I wasn't sure what I thought of the dark mahogany waves pinned up in an artless tangle of loose curls, held in place by scattering of permafrost butterfly clips topped with a long flowing lace veil tossed back, out of way. My reflection regarded me with a flitting array of emotions, chocolate brown eyes slightly dilated with panic. I did not like being celebrated. I loathed the idea of marriage at such a young age. More so, I hated knowing that my wedding was made into a huge affair that normally would have had me running away screaming.

The buzz of what I assumed to be nerves that had had me up most of the night was now a constant dull thrum, slowly but surely losing its edge, and the ability to keep me awake. As a result, I could feel my lids flutter under the added effort of keeping them open.

Behind me, I could hear my mother's warm voice crackle through the receiver of my phone; I had set it up so that she could see me on my big day, despite her inability to be here in the flesh.

I turned to face the inbuilt phone camera, and the dress rustled and swished with my every movement. It was a mix of 1930's filigree and panache and 21st century wear-ability and style. My mother loved the dress. She hated that I was getting married so young. She had refused to come in person, but had still called. To me, that was enough.

Her eyes glazed and her face took on a rosy glow from the tiny screen of my phone.

"Mom, d-don't cry." I stumbled over my words, and in the same instant I tripped over the hem of my dress, causing the bodice to tug down, and almost landed myself in sprawled mess of snowy white lace and soft mahogany ringlets.

I heard Renée choke back a sniffling titter and I blushed under the shine of foundation. Under the powder I knew I looked shit, with dark circles and pale, sunken skin.

'All the rage for modern brides.' Quipped a snide voice in the back of my head, causing me to frown momentarily before remembering I was on video.

"I guess for all its lace and ruffles, it didn't come with a little stability." Renee chortled with a hint of misery lacing her words, as I focused on standing upright without the air aid of the wall or desk. It was the shoes, I secretly assured myself; wobbling awkwardly in the heels Alice had picked out for me.

Flicking a silky curl from my line of vision, I tossed the camera on my phone a stern look, but couldn't stop the smile tugging at my lips. In Truthfully, I was just happy to have her here with me, in any way possible. Despite her disapproving clucks and looks. I needed all the courage I could get to get through this.

Part of me had been waiting for Alice, or at the very least Esme, to show up and start fussing over my hair, dress and make-up. But alas, they did not, and I strongly suspected they were rushing around their house in a mad gale to get very perfect for the _humans_. The thought filled me with a flood of warmth, but it also made me feel unbearably alone and just a touch queasy.

_Stop it Bella_, the self-centered pity was shook aside with a swift and firm mental slap, _you should be enjoying the limited time you have left with your family. After today it's only a matter of time before they will no longer hold a place in your life._

A gentle, almost hesitant rapping at the door caught my attention, and from the corner of my eye, I saw my mother blush and start to fuss over her hair on the minute screen. Rolling my eyes sky-high, I shuffled over to the door and flicked the lock off allowing Charlie to enter.

Although he opened the door he did not enter, settling instead for standing in the hall shuffling from foot to foot, tugging at the jacket of his suit. I don't think I'd ever seen him in anything other than his uniform, or a pair of jeans and flannel. Unable to help myself, I let out a dry chuckle and reached up to straighten his lopsided bow-tie.

From across the room I heard mom grumbling into the phone, and Charlie stiffened under my hands, coughing awkwardly behind his fist. It was his way of blushing.

I couldn't even begin to comprehend how awkward this whole situation was for him, and found myself proud of him for remaining so calm about it all. We both knew that he disapproved of Edward, and liked the idea of my marrying marriage to him even less.

"Everything in order, Kiddo?" He asked after I had stepped back and dropped my hands to my sides. Nibbling at my lower lip, I nodded and smiled crookedly as he tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.

Neither of us were very good at expressing our affection towards each other, but it was at rare times (personally i think 'moments' is a better word in this context) like this that neither of us needed too, because the air lay so heavy with our unspoken words and feelings that we could have spoon fed it to one another.

"You look… nice." He coughed and scuffed his black shiny shoe on the floor of my room. I laughed and punched him playfully on the arm.

"You look like a butler."

Renée groused at our antics from the receiver of my cell and Charlie's eyes fell on the small devise device as though it would fly off the shelf and gnaw out on his jugular. Considering it was his ex-wife on the other end, it might just have done that if he had even considered talking me out of my marriage to Edward .

"It's almost time to get going, you ready Bells; Renée?"

It was actually a little surreal for him to be asking my mother if she was ready for my wedding, considering her attendance depending solely on my mobile's reception and her level of anger. I didn't say this out loud but the thought brought a weary smile to my lips.

This didn't seem to bother either of my parents I realized, turning back to my cell to find my mother quaffing her hair and fluffing a hand down the front of her slinky red dress that made her appear twenty and not going on forty. She may not approach of me getting married young, but it had certainly looked good on her, and she was doing better for it now, later in life.

Behind her, I could hear Phil stumbling around, faintly heard him yell something about a missing shoe buckle, and laughed. Insanity aside, somehow everything seemed perfect as deeply terrifying as it was; as it should be for my big day… I was no going to dwell on the fact that I felt ready to pull a runner.

It was as if my mother had always been destined to attend via video phone, carried in the trembling hands of her ex-husband. Phil, rushing around like a mad chicken in the background, brought it all together. Mom must have said something to Charlie while I was spaced out because the next thing I knew, he was adjusting one of the butterfly clips under the veil.

My vision became clouded by a screen of Mylar and my hand was encased in one larger then my own. I looked up through the veil and Charlie smiled, scooping up my cell in his free hand.

"Guess we better do this now, before I lose my nerve and hide you away in Australia for safe keeping," He grumbled looking anyway anywhere but at me directly. "You still got that pepper spray I bought you?"

Snorting, I knocked my elbow against his and heard Renée holding back her own laugh as she scolded him.

After we had successfully loaded me, mindful of the dress, into the back of the car, Charlie slid into the front, buckled his seatbelt and floored it towards the Cullen's. The trip seemed to take last an eternity, and yet when it was over and we were pulled up out front, the eternity seemed much too short.

The entire house was decorated in streamers and silver balloons. There lay a trail of confetti leading to a little picket gazebo that was to be getting used for the reception. I realised that this was it, that now, at this very moment, I was about to marry Edward; a vampire.

My heart gave a lurch in my chest as the car door opened, and Charlie extended a hand out toward me. Mom was cooing nonsense at me form from the phone, of which I caught none. Something about, not being too late to fly back to Florida and live out the rest of youth single and soaking up the sun.

I took Charlie's hand in mine and crawled out of the car; careful of the layers of silk and other material, not wanting to rip it accidentally with the death-traps strapped to my ankles that Alice had called 'shoes.' Gripping the phone, as though it were my only lifeline, I hobbled out of the way of the door so Charlie could close it, before allowing him to intertwine his arm with mine, leading me up the path to the house.

Every step I took, my heart seemed to beat louder in my chest and I was sure the vampires inside must have wondered if I were having a heart attack.

Charlie guided me up every step, helping to lift the folds of my dress out of the way, while my mother fussed over the phone and supplied little to no help with her random suggestions on where to grab my dress. Despite this, we made it up the stairs and after a brief moment to brush down the layers and smooth out any possible creases, we were ready.

Inside, I could hear the piano keys being played expertly and my heart gave a flutter. I was really marrying Edward. A goofy grin tugged at my lips and at the same moment dad slid his hand onto the door handle to reveal the family of vampires to their newest addition.

Only there were no vampires.

The house was empty. Empty wasn't even a strong enough word for what the inside of the house was resembled; it was barren and bare. The air sparkled as the sun danced off specks of dust; it looked as though the house had been abandoned for months. However I knew that could not be right, it wasn't possible. Had we made a wrong turn?

In the sunniest spot of the room, was a CD player, the source of the music. Renée was speaking again, talking over the phone. She was demanding to know what was going on. Charlie had gone wooden and stiff beside me; but none of this was registering.

Nothing had made it past the initial shock, other than the fact that they were gone. _Again._

They had left me, now, on my wedding day; of all days.

My heart was frozen in my chest and already I could feel the waves of hysteria creeping past the eerier calm that had befallen us. However, before I could scream, before I could do anything, Charlie made an odd, gasping choke to my left, mere seconds before he fell to his knees. My chocolate brown eyes, glazed with tears, tracked the scene, and while he lay on the dusty floor gripping his heart. My brain struggled to process everything that was happening.

I was deafened by the buzzing in my ears that drowned out all other sounds, as though it could also drown out the cruel reality I had fallen into. I came back to myself with a sickening jolt. Mom was screaming at Phil to do something, Charlie was having a heart attack and I was already letting out choked sobs.

"Charlie?"

Was that my voice? It came out a croak that was barely audible to my own ears. I doubted that Charlie would have heard it.

Reaching up, I ripped the veil out of my hair with a vicious yank that spilled half my curls wildly into my face and over my shoulders.

"Hang on dad; I'll get you out of here!"

Assuring him was easier then actually doing something though. Kicking off the stupid heels; I left them in a heap on the Cullen's floor and quickly slung an arm under my wheezing father's shoulders, hefting heaving him against my side. It was awkward; he was taller than I was, bulkier and heavy, and the dress snagged at my ankles as I dragged the two of us down the stairs.

In my head, I was wondering what the hell I was doing. Why wasn't I calling an ambulance? But by the time I realized that calling an ambulance had probably been a better idea from the start, I had already dragged Charlie down the stairs and crammed him into the back seat.

I fumbled with the keys for a good two minutes before I was able to get the front door unlocked and open. However the battle to unlock the car caused me to the drop the phone's casing which had snagged on the ring Edward had given to me. Both dropped onto the driveway unnoticed as I slammed the car into gear before the door had even closed.

I didn't know what the hell was happening with the Cullen's or why they had left, but right now Charlie was my first priority; until he was out of the woods, the gaping hole in my chest would be ignored.

Heart hammering at my ribs, I raked my eyes over the gadgets and buttons, pulling levers and poking things until finally, the siren flipped on and the car began to wail just as we broke away from the Cullen's land and hit suburbia.

I ran a stop sign and nearly cleaned up an elderly man on a bike, but managed to swerve in time and send the car and us along with it, hurling down the wrong lane towards the hospital.

It was about that instant that my brain cause caught up with the rest of me.

"What am I **doing!"** I screeched out passed my lips, as I narrowly avoided a collision with a silver convertible, horn blaring loudly at me.

"I don't even like it when Alice drives like a maniac, and she has vampirereflexes!" I screeched. The last two words came out a few octaves higher than the rest as I spun the wheel and propelled the wailing patrol car into the emergency lot of the hospital, foot slamming down on the brake as we nearly the back-ended an ambulance. Forgetting to turn the engine off entirely, I kicked open the door and scrambled out, tripping twice before I even had a foot on the ground.

Nurses and doctors were rushing to the car as I fumbled with the door handle and tugged at Charlie's suit, trying to slide him out of the back.

"Bella, what on earth is going on here?" One of the nurses that recognized me exclaimed, bearing the wonderful gift of a gurney. When Charlie was laid out on top of it and being swept away, I tripped once more on the threadbare hem work of my wedding dress, huffing loudly and face sticky with sweat.

Nothing seemed real. Like it was all one big, bad dream which, at any moment now; I would be woken from and comforted in the cold, hard arms of Edward. At some point I'd been led into the waiting room and let my trembling body fall into one of the chairs. Tears swam behind my closed lids, but I refused to cry; Charlie needed me to be strong.

Then there was Renée; oh god I had dropped my phone and left her hanging. She was probably having a heart attack with worry herself.

Stumbling over to the row of payphones, with shaking hands I punched in the number for 1800-REVERSE before blindly keying in mom's number.

_"Hello?" _

It wasn't until I heard Jacob's smoky, alto voice croak from across the line that did I realized that I had dialled his number instead of Renée's. A choked sob slipped past my lips; he heard it.

_"Bella? What's going on; where are you? Why are you crying and calling me from a payphone?"_

A sound akin to an anguished wail echoed through the receiver, and it wasn't until my knees gave way that I realized the person making the gut wrenching, broken sound, was me.

I'd shattered, and it wasn't even a full break down yet.

**End Chapter.**


End file.
